Pressure control,especially in connection with the treatment of textiles



G- SCHIFFER El' AL PRESSURE CONT 3,421,345 EOL, ESPECIALLY IN CONNECTIONWITH TEE TREATMENT OF TEXTILES Filed June 29, 1966 `Iam. 14, 1969 FigaUnited States Patent() U.s. cr. ss-s im. ci. non 39/12; non 47/06; ma)25/16 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DlSCLOSlURE A device for iinelycontrolling the sealing pressure in a hydraulic or pneumatic sealingdiaphragms, for use in connection with the inlet and outlet slots forthe goods in pressure dampers for treating textiles, said sealingpressure being controlled by the inner pressure of the boiler, in whichsaid device comprises a double acting fluid pressure cylinder with apiston reciprocable therein and having one side acted upon by the innerpressure of the pressure damper Whereas the other side of said piston isacted upon by the pressure medium of the sealing diaphragme, therequired low over-pressure for the sealing lips being produced by anadditional pressure acting upon said piston or piston rod connectedthereto, and the required correction of the sealing pressurenecessitating the varying frictional values of the goods, and/ or theimpregnated liquor being effected by a control device controlled by thetension of the goods in the pressure damper.

The present invention relates to a pressure control, especially for usein connection with the treatment of textiles. More specifically, thepresent invention concerns passage control devices on pressurecontainers for treating Wide textile material. In such pressurecontainers which are also known as pressure dampers, textiles passingthrough in a continuous manner are at an inner pressure of severalatmospheres above atmospheric pressure subjected in a steam or gasatmosphere to a treatment, for instance to a bleaching operation, abucking operation, or other operations.

ln order to permit a `pressure-tight introduction and withdrawal of thegoods from such pressure containers, devices have been suggested whichcomprise primarily hydraulically or pneumatically actuated hose-shapeddiaphragms which engage the goods passing therethrough from both sidesand thus form a separating wall between the pressure in the containerand the atmosphere.

In this connection, the pressure in the sealing diaphragrns must exceedthe pressure in the container by a very slight amount only, as forinstance from 0.1 to 0.5 atmospheres above atmospheric press-ure. lnorder to adapt the diaphragm pressure to the changing inner pressure inthe container, it has been suggested automatically to control the saidinner pressure in conformity with the container pressure through theintervention of a pressure conduit in such a way that the pressureconduit from the pressure damper to the sealing elements has interposedtherein a pressure transmitter or control which in view of itsadjustment will maintain the pressure in the sealing elements alwaysslightly higher than the pressure in the pressure damper.

Experience has shown that also the above arrangement does not permit atrouble-free operation. On one hand, with apparatuses of the justmentioned type, the required additional pressure of less than 100-millimeter water column cannot be adjusted sensitively enough and sothat it will not change because the friction coefficients of the3,421,345 Patented Jan. 14, 1969 ICC pressure reducer overcome thead'ustin forces and change l in the course of time. On the other hand,the pressure reducers do not respond to the changing roughness andthickness of the pieces of -material sewn together nor to the changingsliding factors of the liquor by which the oncoming goods have beenimpregnated, As a result thereof, the resistance at the sealing elementsand consequently the pulling tension in the goods change while in someinstances also steam may escape when the sealing elements no longerwithstand the inner pressure of the container.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention, to provide acontrol device of the above mentioned general type which will overcomethe drawbacks outlined above.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a control deviceaccording to which the pressure transmitter will be provided with meansfor holding the intermediate pressure constant.

Still another object of this invention consists in the provision of acontrol device by means of which the various frictional resistances canbe properly controlled.

These and other objects and advantages of the inven tion will appearmore clearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates partly in section a controlarrangement according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a portion of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 illustrates a slight modification of the fine pressure control inthe sealing diaphragms.

The above outlined objects have been realized according to the presentinvention by means of a double-acting pressure cylinder piston system inwhich the piston has one side thereof subjected to the inner pressure ofthe damper, whereas the other piston side acts upon the pressure mediumof the sealing lips while the required slight overpressure for thesealing lips is produced by an additional pressure acting upon thepiston rod and preferably caused by removable weights. The correction ofthe sealing pressure which is required by the varying frictional valuesof the goods, of the impregnating liquor and in View of otherinlluences, is effected through a throttle or the like through a controldevice which in its turn is controlled by the tension of the goods inthe pressure damper.

This arrangement brings about that the additional pressure for thesealing lips will remain constant also at a minimum adjustment andindependently of the inner pressure of the pressure damper. Furthermore,the changes in the pulling tension in the goods as caused by differentfrictional values of the goods, of the impregnating substances, or forinstance by a sudden reduction in the pressure, as due to condensations,will immediately be compensated for by a pressure adaptation in thesealing lips.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the arrangement shown thereincomprises a pressure damper 1 esigned for a high inner pressure. Thepressure damper 1 is provided with `a device 3 for passing the goodstherethrough in a pressure-tight manner. The device 3 comprises twopressure diaphragms 2. The pressure damper l furthermore comprises aplurality of deviating rollers 4 for looping the goods therearound, andalso comprises a driving roller system 5. The passage device or controlwhich seals the goods passing therethrough between the two pressurediaphragms 2 is acted upon preferably by a hydraulic pressure. The saidhydraulic pressure is furnished by a pump 6 located in a circuitcomprising the feeding line 7, the pressure transmitter 8, the returnconduit 9, the diaphragms 2, the control throttle 10 and a coolingdevice 11. The cooling device is necessary in order to be able to coolthe termally highly stressed sealing diaphragms 2 through the pressureiiuid circuit.

The pressure transmitter 8 comprises a cylinder 8a having reciprocablymounted therein a double-acting piston 12. Piston 12 is acted upon fromboth sides, namely at one side by the inner pressure of the damper 1which pressure is conveyed through a conduit 14, and on the other sideby the pressure medium in the closed pressure circuit of the diaphragmseals 2 as conveyed through conduit 9. The cross section of pressurepiston 12 is so selected that the inner pressure in the sealing lipswill be approximately equal to the inner pressure of the pressure damper1 but will under no circumstances drop below said last mentioned innerpressure. Inasmuch as experience has shown that for purposes ofobtaining a sealing effect the pressure in the sealing diaphragms 2 mustonly slightly exceed the pressure in the pressure damper, it must bepossible to adjust the pressure in the sealing diaphragms 2 in `aprecise manner by a fine sensitive device at the pressure transmitter 8inasmuch as this is not possible by means of the pressure transmitteralone in view of the changing magnitude of the surfaces engaged by thesealing diaphragms 2 and in view of the piston friction in the pressurecylinder 8a. According to the present invention, this ne adjustment iseffected by a precisely `adjustable additional load on piston 12,preferably by placing weights 17 upon the piston rod 13 protruding fromthe pressure cylinder 80.

Inaslnuch as the thickness of the goods and the roughness of theindividual pieces sewn together change while the goods Amove in acontinuous manner, and since also the sliding factor of the respectivelyemployed impregnating liquor has dii-ferent values, the inner sealinglips are subjected to varying pressure. This would normally, when thegoods are pressed to an increased extent, result in an increased tensionof the goods in the looped area within the kettle or when the sealinglips press upon the goods to a lesser degree, would result in an escapeof steam and thereby in a drop in the pressure. inasmuch as the pressuretransmitter 8 operates only in conformity with the inner pressure in thekettle, these influences are not taken into consideration. According tothe present invention, the inertia-free control of the sealing pressureof the sealing diaphragms 2 is effected by a feeler device which iscontrolled by the tension of the goods in the interior of the kettle 1.In this connection it is highly advantageous to employ a floating jockeypulley 21 which is carried by a lever 21a keyed to a shaft 23 extendingthrough a pressure-tight bearing 24 and carrying a sprocket wheel 25.Sprocket wheel 25 is by means of a chain 26, a sprocket wheel 27 keyedto a shaft 28, a sprocket wheel 29 and a chain 30 drivingly connected toa sprocket wheel 31 which in its turn is operatively connected to thevalve member.

The pressure transmitter 8 or the pressure control in the pressurecircuit of the sealinU diaphragms which pressure control is controlledby the tension of the goods, could also be employed by themselves, butin the second instance no suiiicient safety for a closing of the sealinglips would be obtained when, for instance, due to a disturbance in themovement of the goods, the said floating jockey pulley Z1 fully opensAthe control throttle. In such an instance, in view of a shock-likeevaporation it could occur that the pressure damper breaks, aside fromthe fact that the operator may be endangered by the escaping steam andits eifect. On the other hand, if the closing pressure of the sealingdiaphragms 2 would be increased, the tension of the goods will beincreased to such an extent that the goods would tear and the operationwould have to be stopped for a longer period of time in order to againintroduce the goods. By combining the rough control by the pressuretransmitter 3 with the tensionV sensitive control by means of thecontrol throttle 10, disturbances of the above mentioned type will besafely avoided.

According to a further development of the present invention, the pistonrod 13 is hollow with through bores l5 at the lower end of said piston.The condensate collecting above the piston can pass through said ybores15 and the hollow rod 13 into a conduit 16 for discharging the saidcondensate.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by nomeans, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawing butalso comprises any modifications within the scope of the appendedclaims. Thus, instead of employing weights 17 to be placed upon thepiston rod 13, it is also possible to cause a pneumatic pressure whichis finely adjustable by a pressure control Ztl to act through apneumatic piston 1S upon the piston rod 13 of piston 12.

It will also be appreciated that while the invention has been describedonly with the sealing of the inlet passage through which the goods enterthe container, damper or kettle 1, the same arrangement is applicablefor the sealing of the exit passage through which the goods leavecontainer l.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with treatment vessel having passage Imeans includingdiaphragm means for conveying flat textile material from the outside ofsaid vessel into said vessel for processing therein by contact Iwith afluid under pressure in said vessel: pressure fluid operable cylinderpiston means comprising a cylinder and a double-acting pistonreciprocable in said cylinder, first conduit means leading from saidvessel into a portion of said cylinder at one side of said piston toconvey the fluid pressure prevailing in said vessel to one side of saidpiston, second conduit means in flow communication with the other sideof said piston for conveying pressure fluid to said other side of saidpiston and from said other piston side to the diaphragm means to therebycontrol said passage means, auxiliary means operatively connectable tosaid piston for selectively exerting pressure thereon in the samedirection in which said piston reacts to pressure acting on said oneside thereof, and control means including i'irst means arranged in saidvessel and also including second means operatively connected to saidirst means and arranged in said second conduit means and operable inconformity with the tension of the material being processed in saidvessel to control the fluid pressure acting upon said diaphragm means.

2. An arrangement according to claim l, in which said second conduitmeans forms a closed circuit including a pump with a suction side and apressure side and also including a feeding line leading from saidpressure side into said cylinder for conveying pressure fluid to saidother side of said piston, said second conduit means also including areturn line leading from a portion of said cylinder at said other pistonside to the suction side.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said diaphragm meansare interposed in said return line.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said auxiliary means isformed by detachable weight means.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said auxiliary means isformed by additional pressure fluid operable cylinder piston meansoperatively connected to said rst mentioned pressure fluid operablecylinder piston means.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said control meansincludes: jockey roller means arranged inside said vessel and adapted tobe passed over the material being processed in said vessel, lever meanspivotable in said vessel and supporting said jockey roller means, andthrottle valve means interposed in said second conduit means andoperatively connected to said lever means.

7. An arrangement according to claim 2, which includes cooling meansassociated with said closed circuit for cooling the iluid passingtherethrough.

8. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said one piston sidehas connected thereto a hollow piston rod provided with transverse boresarranged at least near said 6 one piston side for collecting condensateand selectively FOREIGN PATENTS discharging the same. 14,444 9/1962Japan References Cited WILLIAM L. PRLCE, Primary Examiner.,v UNITED SATE PAT NT T S E s U.S. Cl. X.R.

5 3,299,676 1/ 1967 Fujihashi 68-5 4 242 3,343,379 9/1967 Duis et al.68-5 3

